She would hit her first serve, hard and flat like this, but if it went out by four feet, she would simply backup four feet, hit the same serve and inevitably it would go in. Of course it was hard for her to serve in volley. Now, in all seriousness let's now move on to some easier problems to fix.
The most common problem is serving a hard, flat, first serve for years with that western or near-western grip. The problem is, the second serve is often a sitter, begging to be crushed. To compete at higher levels, this player must add spin and some snap to their second serves. The continental grip is well accepted as the answer, but too often this player starts off with that new continental grip and right in the middle of the serve, changes back to their original grip often without even knowing they did it.
I once taught an attorney who had this problem. He was so adamant, that he was not changing the grip that sub-consciously he went through the motion, changed in the middle back to that old western grip to hit the ball and then shifted back to the continental at the end, even without noticing what he had done. It looked like this, he'd served go through the grip change to hit the ball and then change back to that continental to finish. Quite funny actually, not easy at all and it was only after seeing himself on video replay that he would accept reality.
Now here are three ways I felt to help a person stick with that continental grip during this transition. First, you can try using tape to literally lock the hand down or try a Velcro System called the Grip Doctor to get the player a feel for keeping the grip in place.
A third way to get someone to hold the continental grip is to actually place your thumb under your third finger. It is a little complicated, but it works wonders to hold your hand in place. If you do get tight, just drop the pinky of to the bottom, and then you will be able to serve and your grip will not shift.
Just remember that whatever quick fix you try, be sure to hit only five to ten balls and then switch to holding the racquet normally, while trying to maintain the correct grip and feel that you experience with the aid. Then, just alternate back and forth as needed, but make no mistake about it. Changing old habits is not that easy but, if you are patient and diligent with this method, the foundation for change and confidence can be established in minutes not hours and a genuine feel for the shot can be obtained in several hours and not months.
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